Kalamazoo College will recognize and honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 17, at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership as a part of events during the week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The center and Student Development will host community organizer and Wayne State University Assistant Professor of Urban Education and Critical Race Studies Aja Denise Reynolds as she presents an open-to-the-public lecture, “Dr. King’s Legacy: Fighting for Justice at Home and Abroad.” The keynote is the reimagining of a love letter from King to young activists in celebration of their fight for a more just world. The event will celebrate him as a radical and phenomenal leader, organizing for freedom and justice.
Reynolds received her doctorate in educational policy studies and social foundations at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her scholarly work has focused on her collaborative work in creating freedom spaces with Black girls through art, activism and healing as she explores the geographies of Black girlhood. Her dissertation is titled “Ain’t Nobody Checking for Us: Race, Fugitivity and the Urban Geographies of Black Girlhood.” She has more than 12 years of experience as an educator and youth worker and is a part of national education organizations, including the Education for Liberation Network, in which she organizes with teachers, youth, and community organizations to develop more equitable educational structures for marginalized youths.
Wayne State University Assistant Professor of Urban Education and Critical Race Studies Aja Denise Reynolds will present a public lecture, “Dr. King’s Legacy: Fighting for Justice at Home and Abroad,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, January 17, at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, 205 Monroe St.
The public is invited to join the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership for two events related to its With/Out-¿Borders? gathering, which is scheduled for Oct. 8-15.
The opening ceremony is slated for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, 205 Monroe St. A community breakfast is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, in the Hornet Suite at K’s Athletic Fields Complex, 1600 W. Michigan Ave. Register for either event through email at acsjl@kzoo.edu.
Sunni Patterson, Denenge Akpem and Shannon Haupt participate in a ritual performance of release and healing during the 2016 With/Out – ¿Borders? Afrofuturism breakout session “Breaking the Legacy, Conjuring Futures.”
The third With/Out-¿Borders? invitational gathering will bring together land activists who approach social movement work in small grassroots organizations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, South Africa, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and the Pacific Islands. They will discuss how land is essential to indigenous sovereignty movements, contested through forced dislocation, and an asset for strength and nurturance.
“The activists coming to Kalamazoo in October are engaged in some of the most effective and forward-thinking work around land sovereignty and protection in the world,” Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership Executive Director Mia Henry said. “We are honored to have the opportunity to use our resources to uplift and strengthen the work of each of our guests, living into our mission of capacity building on a global level.”
The purpose of the With/Out-¿Borders? gathering is to:
unite global grassroots activists who envision a world free from oppression while actively working toward that vision;
create an environment where activists can learn from and support each other; and
develop deep and meaningful relationships between the Kalamazoo College community, these activists and their work.
The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College develops and sustains leaders in human rights and social justice through education and capacity building. Kalamazoo College, founded in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1833, is a nationally recognized liberal arts college and the creator of the K-Plan, which emphasizes rigorous scholarship, experiential learning, independent research and international and intercultural engagement.
For more information on the With/Out-¿Borders? gathering or either of its public events, contact Bailey Mead at 269-337-7398 or bailey.mead@kzoo.edu.
A Kalamazoo woman who participated in last year’s Kalamazoo County initiative to provide under-documented residents with government-issued IDs has earned one of three Regional Fellowships from the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College.
Nelly Fuentes received one of three Regional Fellowships.
Nelly Fuentes, of Movimiento Cosecha Kalamazoo, hopes to expand the organization with the project funds she receives through the Fellowship, which runs until June 2018. Movimiento Cosecha seeks permanent protection, dignity and respect for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Fuentes, who migrated to Michigan around 2000 and arrived in Kalamazoo in 2006, hopes to expand the organization to about 25 members. She wants to culminate her efforts with a May Day celebration for farmworkers in coordination with other local Movimiento Cosecha chapters, including one in Grand Rapids.
Each Regional Fellow receives a $5,000 stipend and funds for travel and project-related expenses, in addition to professional development and coaching for their social justice-related goals.
“The Regional Fellowships are our way of providing concrete support to local leaders who are working for justice and equity in Southwest Michigan,” said Mia Henry, executive director of the Arcus Center. “We believe that our partnership with these visionary organizers will help them strengthen the impact and increase the reach of their projects, which will benefit our community well after the fellowship period ends.”
Also receiving fellowships are:
Linda Cypret-Kilbourne and Julie Dye, who are creating a campaign that will inform and educate K-12 teachers about institutional racism related to Native American-themed mascots in interscholastic sports.
Julie Dye
Linda Cypret-Kilbourne
Cypret-Kilbourne is a co-founder of the Michigan Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media, a member of the National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media and a chairperson of Native American Student Community Organization Movement. Dye is a Pokagon Band and Walpole Island First Nation Potawatomi Native American. As an anti-racism and environmental activist, she works to improve the lives of Michigan’s indigenous people through education.
Kalamazoo College graduates Gina Bravata and Ryan D’Mello, who are addressing race-based health inequity through anti-racism and implicit bias training for future healthcare providers as co-leaders and co-organizers of the Social Justice Interest Group at Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker, M.D. School of Medicine.
Bravata was born and raised in Kalamazoo and is a student at the Stryker School of Medicine. Before attending medical school, she was a chemistry teacher in Newark, N.J. She is interested in using her background in education and health to promote health equity by increasing discussions regarding the integral link between social justice and medicine.
D’Mello was born in Kalamazoo and has lived, worked, researched and volunteered there. After graduating from Kalamazoo College, he worked with a team of local health professionals on The Kalamazoo Heart Project, evaluating undetected heart disease in the community.
About the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership
The mission of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College is to develop and sustain leaders in human rights and social justice through education and capacity-building.
Actresses Lily Tomlin (left) and Jane Fonda (middle) discuss an initiative to raise the minimum wage of Michigan residents with Saru Jayaraman at the Arcus Center for Social Justice.
Two legendary, award-winning actresses – Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin – visited Kalamazoo College and the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) on Tuesday to heighten awareness about an initiative to raise the minimum wage of Michigan residents.
ROC United, a restaurant workers and workers’ rights group, brought Fonda and Tomlin to K for the issue-focused, non-partisan event. ROC United is a winner of the 2013 Global Prize for Collaborative Social Justice Leadership and partner with the ACSJL.
Fonda and Tomlin, stars of the Netflix comedy series “Grace and Frankie,” are participating in a series of ROC United fundraising and public-education events in Detroit, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor this week. Fonda and Tomlin will speak out about the need for One Fair Wage in Michigan, and the importance of amplifying the voices and perspective of those who work in the restaurant industry.
The Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York was initially founded in New York City by Fekkak Mamdouh and Saru Jayaraman after September 11, 2001, to support restaurant workers displaced as a result of the World Trade Center tragedy.
Kalamazoo College alumni Justin Danzy ’16 and Marquise Griffin ’15 have created a virtual communal space shared by a team of thinkers and artists free to create and share content that promotes their vision of a more informed, empowered and collaborative diasporic community. The Black Diaspora Project is a collaboration between two groups of friends from opposite sides of the globe in an attempt to forge connections between millennials and members of the African diaspora. It’s also a space where people express unique worldviews and forward the vision of a more just, equitable world.
Justin Danzy ’16 (right) is the co-editor of the Black Diaspora Project, which creates and shares content promoting a vision of a more informed, empowered and collaborative African diasporic community.
A month after graduating from Kalamazoo College, Danzy spent a month and a half in Uganda working with the Bavubuka Foundation, which inspires youths to embrace and celebrate their native languages, culture and tradition. It conducts a yearly hip-hop summit, which includes youth performances and workshops taught by contributing professionals in media, recording arts and writing. The relationships he built in Uganda were what led to the Black Diaspora Project, an online space created Feb. 20, 2017. Danzy expresses with great passion how his experience at Kalamazoo College prepared him for what the world would bring post-graduation.
He admits: “K really took me out of my comfort zone and forced me to learn a lot about how maneuver and preserve yourself … I met many wonderful friends and mentors who went out of their way to help steer me while I was on this journey of understanding. For instance, Di Seuss introduced me and seduced me into the world of creative writing, which has become a haven for me. She also introduced me to the executive director of the organization that I currently work at. Dr. Bruce Mills affirmed my ability as an academic in a way that really bolstered my self-confidence … His tutelage led to me presenting my SIP at the International James Baldwin Conference at American University in Paris, France last spring. Lastly, Dr. Lisa Brock and Mia Henry provided a space for me to grow on my own terms, while also giving the language that greatly assisted in me understanding some of the things I was experiencing for the first time at K. Working with them at the Arcus Center also led to me meeting Silas Balabyekkubo, the founder of the Bavubuka Foundation, who I ended up partnering with in Uganda for our hip-hop and sustainable agriculture initiative, which planted the seed for what was to become the Black Diaspora Project.”
Danzy was joined by fellow alumnus and friend Griffin, who after graduating from K began pursuing his master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis at the University of Missouri-Columbia. There, he studies the structure of higher education, its administration, processes, culture and the policies that affect it. Griffin is the co-editor-in-chief, working closely with Danzy on making creative decisions regarding the Black Diaspora Project, its structure, direction and what they want from contributors.
Marquise Griffin ’15 (pictured) and fellow Kalamazoo College alumnus Justin Danzy have co-created the Black Diaspora Project.
While they were students at K, Griffin and Danzy discussed their desire to spearhead a collaborative project inspired by their love of writing and the ritual of workshopping poetry. After Danzy’s experience in Uganda, Danzy went to Griffin with the idea for the Black Diaspora Project. Griffin happily helped bring the idea to fruition. Griffin admits Danzy’s “tireless enthusiasm and the amount of work he put into the site pulled me in and I began to see the potential for this to be a true collaboration of creative people, all working to expand their knowledge of themselves and others.”
Danzy said the ultimate goal of the Black Diaspora Project is to provide an honest depiction of the African diaspora and enhance the audience’s understanding of blackness on a global scale. He wants to prioritize the understanding of a global blackness, to offer diverse and positive depictions of contemporary Africa. Furthermore, to offer a resource that does not look upon Africa with pity and endow it with charity. The Black Diaspora Project can contribute to moving toward this understanding of an autonomous Africa that is full of talent and the acumen to create a better future for the continent.
